Hidden Valley Drag Strip gets its official christening this weekend with the two night Macmahon Grand Re-Opening kicking off on Friday.

Reigning ANDRA Top Doorslammer Champion and current record holder, John Zappia arrived in Darwin last night, ready to compete in the Macmahon Grand Re-Opening on the 13-14 May at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Drag Strip.

The QDRA is one of Australia’s oldest and largest drag racing clubs being formed in May 1966 by a bunch of enthusiasts when the American Dragfest Team was touring Australia.

Queensland’s Crossroads Racing WASH IT Funny Car team owner John Cannuli has bounced back with a much celebrated WIN in Top Alcohol at Sydney Dragway’s NITRO CHAMPS this weekend after a torrid start to 2011.

{jcomments on} The 2011 Macmahon Grand Re-Opening Presented by 7mate, the first ever event covered live at the all new Hidden Valley Drag Strip.

For those looking for something different to entertain the family during the next long weekend, Willowbank Raceway’s Castrol EDGE Winternationals could be just the ticket.

The future looks promising for young gun tuner Aaron Hambridge after debut with Lamattina Racing at the Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway on April 30- May.

The Hidden Valley Ford Beat the Heat Off Street event went off with a bang on Friday night with a number of teams using it as a final test session before the Macmahon Grand Re-Opening on May 13-14, 2011. The crowd had a special treat, being witness to the first passes for Scott MacLean’s relaunched Top Doorslammer. The 1953 Studebaker now features a gloss black paint job and had recently gone through a full rebuild which appears to have paid off. MacLean’s first timed pass was a little wayward, taking out three of the timing blocks as he crossed the centre line at the 1000ft mark, but he still managed to blitzed the previous quickest pass by a Doorslammer at Hidden Valley with an elapsed time of 6.4 seconds at 180mph. The previous quickest pass was Ben Bray in 2008 with a 6.62 at 191.48mph. But MacLean didn’t stop there, he turned the Studebaker around and raised the bar even higher, pulling a solid 6.287 second run at 225mph. With their home track knowledge, MacLean and Matt Abel are going to have a competitive edge over some of the interstate teams including Gary Phillips and John Zappia. “Having the Willowbank Raceway track curators Rob and David Hunter here throughout the evening has re-assured local officials and racers that Hidden Valley is going to be a very competitive track for the Grand Re-Opening” said HVDRA President Jay Jukes.“Seeing Scott roll off the trailer and smash the previous quickest pass by nearly 0.4 seconds shows that we are in for some very quick runs during the official opening.” Hidden Valley now prepares for the Macmahon Grand Re-Opening on May 13-14, 2011 which will feature a full field of Top Doorslammer teams including Territorians Matt Abel and Scott MacLean, as well as current Australian champion and record holder, John Zappia. The Doorslammer field will also consist of Deno Brijeski, Frank Mamone, Gary Phillips, Ivan Skaramuca, Reece Melenewycz, Marty Dack, and Peter Kapiris.

AERO Racing is a Perth based drag racing team specialising in Sport Compact drag racing. The team presented two race cars this season for racing – Paul Carey’s wild Lexus powered RX-7 competing in Supercharged Outlaws, and Brad Morris’s turbo rotary powered RX-7 competing in Group 2 Super Compact. The AERO Outlaw RX-7 competed in all nine events at the Perth Motorplex, and finished fourth overall in the local Championship. The season saw Paul Carey racing in two A Finals – winning one – and winning five other eliminators. Perth Motorplex runs the A and B Final format, chosen from the top four eliminator winners, with a “package” calculation based on reaction time and how close a competitor gets to their dial in handicap”.Team owner and driver Paul Carey was pleased with the season – “We were in two minds whether to compete this year with the Lexus V8, as our new billet heads where not ready. But our mentor John Zappia encouraged me to run the standard heads in a milder tune and chase some consistency in our racing this year”. “Running fourth in the Championship was a good effort – considering we sheared a gearbox input shaft and went out early in round three. The AERO billet CNC block performed flawlessly all season, despite the workout it gets. Thanks to High Speed Engineering and El Es De Engineering for that product and sponsorship. “We have to run this very small engine (282 cubes) at Group 2 levels of performance to get the ET’s we want – basically 10,000rpm and 50 plus pounds of boost – so we are proud of the consistency we can get with the car with that level of tune”. “Outlaw teams here in Perth enjoy great friendships and a lot of good humour. Our RX-7 quickly got the name “Ricer” from some racers, but I think we earned some respect from them with some good tight racing. The class enjoys such a wide variety of race cars, and is very popular with the crowd in Perth”.  “The traditional method of going Supercharged Outlaws racing is to run a de-tuned big cube engine at modest revs and boost with a tall rear end. Our sports compact approach – high revving modern quad cam engine in a small car – has worked and added another approach to the bracket”.“We do have advantages in the first half of the track with low torque and are able to throw everything at the track. Our PB’s came later in the season with the Perth Motorplex really stepping up the preparation of their track, and the team adapting to get the wheel speed up again”.“The car started the season off with a 7.411 @ 191.08 mph – slower than our PB from last season of 7.31, and finished off the season with a 7.188 @ 191.89mph PB with some better tuning in first gear”. “Many thanks go to our sponsors for the season. Aero Group Pty Ltd has funded most of the season, and we thank them for that. Their Avtrac Maintenance Tracking software – modified for drag racing and used for the last ten years by John Zappia, is used by myself for data collection and has been instrumental in being able to dial in correct tunes for various weather and track conditions and improve consistency”.“Platinum Aviation prepared the engine for us at their immaculate aircraft engine overhaul shop, and Harris Engines provided excellent support with the quad cam heads, which needed servicing every couple of meetings”. “Many thanks also to John Zappia, who has given me untold support with his mentoring role in the team. The intensity and class required to stay reining Top Doorslammer Champion comes through to us in many ways”. The EFI Turbo 13B powered RX-7 of Brad Morris had a steady season as he settles into regular Super Compact racing in Super Stock. Setting a new personal best 10.015 from his standard drive train earned him the title of Australia’s quickest IRS rotary sedan. Switching to methanol and installing a clutchless 5 speed will see Brad under his index when he next races. The team is now undergoing off season maintenance, and will present the AERO Outlaw RX-7 next season with new equipment that should see the car dip into the sixes for the first time. The team will aim to race at the Winternationals and possibly some other east coast tracks next season.For more details, photos and videos go to www.aeroracing.com.au   Naming Rights SponsorsAero Group Pty LtdMajor SponsorsAvtrac Maintenance Tracking, High Speed Engineering, El Es De Engineering, Platinum Aviation.Supporting SponsorsSouthside Engine Center, Harris Engines, Zappia Racing, Pro Race Products.

A trip to the quarter-mile was exactly what the doctor ordered for Ipswich’s Tarrant family this evening, with the flood-affected family receiving some welcome ‘time out’ at Willowbank Raceway.